Women in WWI

1. Women in WWI New Roles and Rights

2. Women’s work • Before the war, women were expected to stay at home • Women who did work were usually single and could only get jobs as teachers, nurses or secretaries • Also, women’s fashion was very constricting • Women were expected to wear long dresses at all times, covering up arms, ankles and neckline

3. Women during the War • With thousands of young men leaving to fight in the war and the huge demand for food and war material, women were asked to join the work force • For the first time, women took on jobs like bus driving, factory work, and farm laborer • Factory production and efficiency went up with female workers • In addition, thousands of women went overseas as Nursing sisters

4. Women on the home front • Women were expected to sacrifice for the war effort • Women rationed food (especially meat), made vegetable gardens and sewed their own clothes • Also, women knitted socks for men in the trenches • The white feather campaign was a tactic used by women to shame men into enlisting

5. Women and Prohibition • Canada was a hard drinking country • Many men would waste their money at bars and saloons • Also, the rate of domestic violence was very high • Women’s group had been pushing for laws against alcohol for years • During the war, the need for public safety and increased food production caused many in government to listen to women’s concerns about alcohol • By 1918, production, distribution and consumption of alcohol was illegal

6. The Suffragette Movement • Given the great sacrifices women were making and the new found confidence women were experiencing, many women pushed for the right to vote • The movement was so strong the Canadian Government allowed women to vote in the 1917 election

7. Key points • Women had few rights in Canada before WWI • During WWI, women took on new jobs, wore new clothing and discovered new confidence • Women were most responsible for passing prohibition (no alcohol) • Women gained the right to vote in 1917